The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant safety apparatus and, more particularly, to a vehicle occupant safety apparatus with a deployment door that attaches to a vehicle instrument panel.
A known vehicle occupant safety apparatus includes an air bag module having an inflatable air bag, an inflator for inflating the air bag, and a reaction can that receives the air bag and the inflator. The air bag module is mounted within an instrument panel of a vehicle. The known vehicle occupant safety apparatus has a deployment door or cover that is attached to the reaction can and hides the air bag, inflator, and reaction can from view when the module is installed in the instrument panel. Thus, the deployment door covers an opening in the instrument panel through which the air bag module is installed and through which the air bag expands upon inflation. The deployment door is attached to the reaction can such that the door can xe2x80x9cfloatxe2x80x9d or move relative to the reaction can. After the air bag module is installed in the instrument panel, the deployment door can be properly oriented relative to the instrument panel and then fixed to the instrument panel.
The present invention is directed to a vehicle occupant safety apparatus. The apparatus comprises an air bag module having an air bag that is inflatable through an opening of the instrument panel for helping to protect a vehicle occupant during a crash condition. The apparatus further comprises a door for covering the opening in the instrument panel. The door is attached to the air bag module and is movable relative to the air bag module to position the door relative to the instrument panel. The door and the instrument panel have respective interlocking portions that snap together to attach the door to the instrument panel when the air bag module is inserted into the opening in the instrument panel and the door is moved relative to the air bag module. The interlocking portions of the instrument panel are deflected when the respective interlocking portions of the door and the instrument panel snap together.
The present invention also is directed to a method of mounting a vehicle occupant safety apparatus in an opening of an instrument panel. In the method, a door is attached to an air bag module in a manner such that the door is movable relative to the air bag module. The air bag module is inserted into the opening in the instrument panel. The door is moved relative to the air bag module and relative to the instrument panel so that respective interlocking portions of the instrument panel and the door snap together. The interlocking portions of the instrument panel are deflected when the interlocking portions of the door and the instrument panel snap together.